House Joint Resolution 34 urges Congress, federal fisheries managers, and Alaska’s congressional delegation to revise the federal Prohibited Species Donation program, also known as the Bycatch to Food Banks program. The resolution says the program was created to reduce waste by allowing certain edible bycatch, such as salmon and halibut incidentally caught in federal Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska groundfish trawl fisheries, to be donated to food banks and hunger-relief organizations. It notes that the program has historically recovered millions of pounds of seafood for charitable distribution, but that participation has declined because of economic, operational, and compliance burdens.
The resolution asks for legislative, regulatory, or administrative changes that would make the program easier for vessels to use while preserving its core conservation structure. It specifically calls for changes that increase voluntary participation and reduce wasteful discards, but that do not create financial compensation, quota credits, regulatory offsets, a secondary market, or other incentives that could increase bycatch. The resolution also emphasizes that any changes should maintain strict monitoring requirements and continue to prohibit the sale of donated prohibited species.
Impact
HJR 34 does not change Alaska statutes or create state regulatory requirements; instead, it is a formal legislative request to the federal government. Its practical impact is to put the Alaska Legislature on record supporting changes to a federal fisheries donation program and to direct that message to Congress, NOAA, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, and Alaska’s congressional delegation. If acted on federally, the requested changes could affect how vessels in Alaska’s federal fisheries handle prohibited species bycatch and how much seafood is diverted from discard to food banks.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment of the resolution is supportive of the donation program and favorable toward expanding its use. The bill frames the program as environmentally beneficial, humanitarian, and consistent with food security goals, while also recognizing that current rules and costs have made participation difficult. The tone suggests broad support for preserving the program’s conservation safeguards while improving its practicality for vessel operators.
Contention
The main point of contention is how to improve participation without undermining bycatch controls. Supporters want the program made more workable so edible bycatch can be donated instead of discarded, but they are careful to avoid any change that could reward bycatch or create a market for prohibited species. The resolution also acknowledges that vessel operators face real costs and compliance burdens, which may make participation impractical even when they support the program’s goals. No formal opposition is reflected in the available record, but the policy tension is between food-security benefits and the need to avoid incentives that could weaken conservation objectives.